Tafseer of Mary · Maryam · 19:24
But he called her from below her, "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The reciters differed over the reading of this word. Most of the reciters of the Ḥijāz and Iraq read فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا (he called to her from beneath her) — in the sense: Jibrīl called to her from in front of her, although they differed among themselves over its interpretation. Some who read it as مِنْ تَحْتِهَا understood it as: from below her, and that it was Jibrīl; others understood it as: from below her, and that it was ʿĪsā who called to her after she had given birth to him. Some reciters of Kūfa and Basra read فَنَادَاهَا مَنْ تَحْتَهَا with a fatḥa on the two tāʾs, in the sense: the one who was beneath her called to her — where "the one who was beneath her" is ʿĪsā, and it was he who called to his mother.
* Narration of those who said: the one who called to her was the angel:
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Muʾmin related to us — he said: I heard Ibn ʿAbbās read: فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا — he means: Jibrīl.
Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Aḥmad ibn Yūnus related to me, saying: ʿAbathar informed us, saying: Ḥuṣayn related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Maymūn al-Awdī — he said: The one who called to her was the angel.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama — he said: he read: "fakhāṭabahā min taḥtihā" (he addressed her from beneath her).
Abū Hishām al-Rifāʿī related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama — that he read it thus.
Al-Rifāʿī related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of Ibrāhīm, on the authority of ʿAlqama — that he read it thus.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀmir related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Juwaybar, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: Jibrīl.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Juwaybar, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk — the same.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : that is to say: from beneath the palm tree.
Mūsā related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī — فَنَادَاهَا Jibrīl مِنْ تَحْتِهَا أَلَا تَحْزَنِي .
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: The angel.
It was related to me through al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us — he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he means: Jibrīl was beneath her.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: Jibrīl called to her; ʿĪsā did not speak until she had come to her people.
* Narration of those who said: ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) called to her:
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning His word فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: ʿĪsā ibn Maryam.
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀmir related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : her son.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda — he said: Al-Ḥasan said: It was her son.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of a trustworthy person, on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih — فَنَادَاهَا ʿĪsā مِنْ تَحْتِهَا أَلَا تَحْزَنِي .
Abū Ḥumayd Aḥmad ibn al-Mughīra al-Ḥimṣī related to me, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Muhājir related to us, on the authority of Thābit ibn ʿAjlān, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr — concerning His word فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: ʿĪsā said: Do you not then hear how Allah says فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ (she pointed to him)?
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said — concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا : he said: ʿĪsā; he called to her from beneath her: أَلَا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا .
It was related to me through ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Jaʿfar, through his father, through al-Rabīʿ ibn Anas, through Abū al-ʿĀliya al-Riyāḥī, through Ubayy ibn Kaʿb — he said: The one who addressed her was the one she was carrying in her belly, the one who had entered through her mouth.
Abū Jaʿfar (Imam al-Ṭabarī) said: The more correct of the two opinions, in our view, is that of those who say that it was her son ʿĪsā who called to her; for the pronoun in the sentence refers most directly to him syntactically, and it is better to let the pronoun refer back to the nearest antecedent than to the more distant one. Consider the context of فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانْتَبَذَتْ بِهِ — that is to say: she carried ʿĪsā and withdrew with him — after which immediately follows: "he called to her," which refers to the same ʿĪsā. There is yet another reason: the words فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ — she pointed to him — make clear that she knew he could speak, because he had addressed her with أَلَا تَحْزَنِي قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا , and because Allah related that he indicated her before the people. Had it been Jibrīl, the apparent meaning of the report would have had to mention that ʿĪsā would speak and would dispute with the people on her behalf; and it would have been his command to her to point to him when she was asked about her circumstances and his.
If, then, this is the correct interpretation as we have set forth, it is clear that both readings — مِنْ تَحْتِهَا with kasra and مَنْ تَحْتَهَا with fatḥa — are correct. For if one reads with kasra, فَنَادَاهَا contains a pronoun referring to ʿĪsā; if one reads with fatḥa, the subject is "man" and that is ʿĪsā. The meaning of the sentence is then: the newborn from beneath her called to her — "O mother, do not grieve! قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا ".
As Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning فَنَادَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا أَلَا تَحْزَنِي : she said: "How can I not grieve while you are with me — no husband so that I may say: from my husband; no master so that I may say: from my master; what is my excuse before the people?" يَا لَيْتَنِي مِتُّ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًّا — ʿĪsā then said to her: "I will take the matter of speaking upon myself for you."
The exegetes differed over the meaning of "al-sariyy" in this place. Some said: it is a small river (al-nahr al-ṣaghīr).
* Narration of those who said this:
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: A rivulet (al-jadwal).
Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq — he said: I heard al-Barāʾ say concerning this verse قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: A rivulet.
ʿAlī related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — concerning His word قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : this is the river of ʿĪsā.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: al-sariyy is the river that flowed beneath Maryam when she gave birth to him; it flowed and was called "sariyy".
Abū Ḥuṣayn related to me, saying: ʿAbathar related to us, saying: Ḥuṣayn related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Maymūn al-Awdī — he said concerning this verse قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : "al-sariyy" is a river from which one drinks.
Yaʿqūb and Abū Kurayb related to us, they said: Hushaym related to us, saying: Ḥuṣayn informed us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Maymūn — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: A rivulet.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: Warqāʾ related to us — both on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid — concerning سَرِيًّا : he said: A river in Syriac.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid — the same. Ibn Jurayj said: A river beside her.
Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū Dāwūd related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: He was noble (sariyy). Then Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān said: "al-sariyy" is the rivulet. Whereupon he said: "The princes have taken you away from me."
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh related to us, on the authority of Abū Ḥuṣayn, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he said: It is the rivulet, the small river; and in Nabatean: "al-sariyy".
Abū Ḥumayd al-Ḥimṣī related to me, saying: ʿUthmān ibn Saʿīd related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Muhājir related to us, on the authority of Thābit ibn ʿAjlān — he said: I asked Saʿīd ibn Jubayr about "al-sariyy"; he said: A river.
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of Mughīra, on the authority of Ibrāhīm — he said: The small river.
Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: Mughīra informed us, on the authority of Ibrāhīm — he said: It is the small river, that is to say: the rivulet — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا .
Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Salama ibn Nubayt, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk — he said: A small rivulet in Syriac.
It was related to me through al-Ḥusayn, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us — he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : the small rivulet of the rivers.
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : and "al-sariyy" is the rivulet, as the people of the Ḥijāz call it.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq related to us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, concerning سَرِيًّا : he said: It is a rivulet.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of a trustworthy person, and on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he means: a rivulet of water.
Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to us, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : and "al-sariyy" is the river.
Others said: by it ʿĪsā was meant.
* Narration of those who said this:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan — concerning قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : and "al-sariyy" is ʿĪsā himself.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا : he means himself; he said: What is more excellent than he? He said: Those who say that "al-sariyy" is the river are mistaken; for a river is beside her, not beneath her.
Abū Jaʿfar (Imam al-Ṭabarī) said: The more correct of the two opinions, in my view, is that of those who say that it concerns the rivulet; for Allah tells her of the water that He had given her. And He said to her وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسَاقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا * فَكُلِي of these dates وَاشْرَبِي of this water وَقَرِّي عَيْنًا with your child. "Al-sariyy" as an expression in Arabic is known to mean the small river. A poet (Labīd) said:
"They crossed the breadth of the rivulet and leaped over an abundance of water with bordering bank plants."
His word وَهُزِّي إِلَيْكِ بِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ : it is mentioned that the trunk was a dry trunk, and that she was commanded to shake it — and that during the winter months; her shaking of it consisted of moving it.